4 salary negotiating tactics every woman needs

Hong Kong has come a long way from where it was on gender equality front. With more women thriving professionally, discussions around gender issues can take a back seat.

But, just like everywhere else in the world, women still face discrimination and harassment in the workplace - from being kept out of senior roles or certain fields entirely, to not being appropriately compensated. In fact, women are still paid about 20% less than their male counterparts on average.

So, how can women navigate this tricky landscape to get what they truly deserve?

Here’s all the tips and tricks you need to close that wage gap:

Do your researchEmployers typically already have a salary range in mind when considering a new hire. As a female jobseeker, it becomes even more crucial that you know what you’re worth in the industry you’re trying to get into, ensuring your paycheck is on par with your male counterparts.

This means conducting extensive research through reading salary reports, tapping into your network of friends and contacts and understanding the company’s financial standing. Also, be aware of job market trends when you state your desired salary range.

Understand your employer’s concernsDuring negotiations, try to keep the process as collaborative as possible. The key here is to play up your strengths, and turn this into a problem-solving collaboration. Turn the conversation towards what you can bring to the table with your capabilities, and the problems you can help solve for your employers.

Make the offer firstIt is a commonly believed that we have to wait for the employer to make the first offer before we start negotiating. By doing so, we gain insight into what the employer is offering and can then negotiate based on what they can offer.

But when we wait for our employers to make that offer, we’re more often than not, allowing our real value get pulled in the direction of what our employers can afford.

When you make the first offer, you get to set the tone for the rest of the negotiation.

Provide a salary rangeWhen pressured to provide your desired salary for the role you’ve been offered, avoid giving a specific figure. Providing the exact salary figure can price you above or sometimes below your employer’s initial budget, giving them the opportunity lowball you.

Instead, we recommend presenting your interviewer with a salary range based on your earlier research, sidestepping questions about how much you were paid previously. Besides, giving a range shows you know what you want, and makes you appear reasonable and polite too.